Global Warming = Economic Catastrophe
We’ve all heard the warnings about global warming: more extreme weather (hurricanes, droughts), disease epidemics, species extinction. So far there hasn’t been any sign of a pulse from our “leaders.”
But the latest warnings are speaking the one language that our “leaders” understand — the economy. NOW maybe the Bush Administration will peek out of its bubble and look around.
Last week England’s Prince Charles declared global warming “the No. 1 risk in the world, ahead of terrorism and demographic change.”
Last month, conservative Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) spoke to the United Nations Security Council on the urgency of this crisis. He said “The problem of climate change is real and caused by man-made emissions of greenhouse gasses, including carbon dioxide from fossil fuels.” He also said that climate change could “bring drought, famine, disease, mass migration and rising sea levels threatening coasts and economies worldwide, all of which could lead to political conflict and instability.”
Also waking up is the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. In 2004 they lost a record $30 billion in hurricane-related insurance losses. In ‘05 they lost $60 billion just from Hurricane Katrina.
The good news is, only a few delusional rightwing nutzoids are still clinging to the idea that global warming is a myth. A few other wingnuts are keeping their heads in the sand (or somewhere else) and claiming that it’s just a natural cycle, totally unrelated to man-made pollution.
The bad news is, most of these wingnuts are in the Bush Administration.
posted by Tom Harper @ 8:13 PM
5 Comments:
Trent "Badass" Reznor totally sang that.
Global warming doesn't matter! It's clearly only killed poor people so far (New Orleans, tsunami), and anyway before it gets bad the Rapture will come and the neocons will be whisked away to heaven.
Brad: Right you are, that's Trent Reznor. Yeah, who needs to worry about global warming? All us decent Godfearing folk will be rescued by the Rapture.
Actually, I was watching the weather channel yesterday, because in San Diego, it's a big deal if clouds develop off the coastline.
They showed a chart that showed what we are in right now is part of the same pattern that has been occuring for hundreds of years+.
Global warming is the topic du jour (besides illegals), but it still needs to be thought out. The Bush administration is hardly to blame for the weather. Things like this take eons to change.
It's more important that everyday people take the time to educate themselves on the environment, be they left or right wing. Instead of playing the blame game.
Jenn: I don’t claim to be a scientist or anything, but the research seems pretty conclusive that man-made pollution is aggravating the global warming cycle. Even some conservative politicians and business organizations are getting on board.
I know that blaming Bush isn’t productive, but his administration has thwarted every national and global effort to try dealing with this problem.
jenn: even if pollutants aren't causing Global Warming or strongly aggravating an existing temperature cycle, they are still a HUGE problem that affects the natural environment and many, if not all, species -- including ours.
But still, I tend to side with the consensus of researchers with Phds over the rightwing fundamentalist politicians. After all, it's usually these politicians who push the Pro-Creationist/Anti-Science agenda (the Earth is only 8,000 years old! Dinosaurs lived at the same time as humans OR Fossils are sent by God to test our faith!). Yikes.
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